Remote access computing is widely known in the field of computing. Typically, a remote access computing environment provides an operating system (OS) which runs on server hardware. A remote access program is implemented on the server which is accessible to users of the remote access program via a network.
Typically, the server runs a Virtual Machine (VM) which hosts an operating system supporting multiple guest systems, each capable of supporting multiple users in a unique environment. A VM is a software facility that allows one physical processor to be configured with multiple “virtual” processors or machine. Each VM normally runs independently of every other VM and may run any operating system and software.
Each remote access participant is typically provided with a dedicated guest OS, which appears to the user as a server running a native operating system. The guest OS will Initial Program Load (IPL) automatically when a VM user logs on and issues a command to start the process. Thus, before utilising a guest OS, a user must first access the server and initialise (i.e. IPL) the guest OS.
Techniques for securing such remote access have been sought, many of which are not appropriate or too expensive to implement.